News In Brief

December 3, 1984

Lausanne, Switzerland

Olympic committee rejects punishment of future boycotts

The International Olympic Committee rejected a proposal Sunday to punish countries that boycott future Olympic Games and told the 160 national Olympic committees it was their responsibility to ensure full participation.

The 88-member IOC was convened in its first extraordinary session to consider possible sanctions against boycotting countries. With hints of a Soviet-bloc boycott of the next summer games, to be held in Seoul, South Korea, the nine-member IOC Executive Board had proposed that countries joining any future boycott be barred from at least two subsequent Olympics.